The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation Officials Attend 41st Caribbean Travel Marketplace
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (15 May 2023) – This week, delegates from the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (BMOTIA), led by Director General Mrs. Latia Duncombe, are attending the 41st edition of Caribbean Travel Marketplace, the Caribbean’s largest tourism marketing event, where they will continue to promote multi-destination awareness of The Bahamas’ unique 16-island offerings. The meeting is hosted by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) in Bridgetown, Barbados and runs from 9 – 11 May.
Prime Minister of Barbados The Honorable Mia Amor Mottley, S.C., M.P. along with Director General, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, Latia Duncombe
The Hon. Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, opened the conference on Tuesday, 9 May addressing over 700 representatives inclusive of Tourism Ministers, executives, tour operators, suppliers and more. Keynote addresses continued highlighting the state of the industry by Nicola Madden-Greig, President of CHTA, Olivier Ponti, Vice President of Insights for ForwardKeys; the Hon. Kenneth Bryan, Tourism Minister for the Cayman Islands and Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO); Charlie Osmond, Co-founder, Triptease.
CHTA 2023 Destination Resilience Awards were also announced on Tuesday, with Eleuthera Island in The Bahamas being named as the winner in Category B – destinations with total stopover arrivals under 500,000. The Destination Resilience Awards were introduced during the Covid -19 pandemic and recognises destinations that used innovative and timely responses to the global pandemic that led to the island’s tourism recovery. Eleuthera demonstrated a commitment to a more sustainable future with initiatives undertaken by entities such as the Island School, Cape Eleuthera Institute, the Eleuthera Sustainability Council Cooperative Society and the Centre for Training Institute.
Eleuthera, Bahamas win CHTA Destination Resilience Category B Award. L-R: Nicola Madden-Greig President of The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association, Latia Duncombe, Director General, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation and Vanessa Ledesma Acting CEO and Director General of The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association
“I am pleased to see the efforts to promote sustainability in The Bahamas and notably Eleuthera, recognised by the Caribbean community and rewarded with the Destination Resilience Award,” said Latia Duncombe, Director General, BMOTIA.
L-R: Steven Johnson, Senior Director, Sales and Marketing Canada, Valery Brown-Alce, Executive Director Global Sales, the Hon. Kenneth Bryan, Tourism Minister for the Cayman Islands and Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, Latia Duncombe, Director General, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, Paul Strachan, Executive Director Global Communications
BMOTIA representatives will participate in over 40 meetings with prospective priority partners and media outlets to discuss new developments and the future of travel to The Bahamas.
“There’s been a keen interest in our destination from European and Latin American representatives,” said Duncombe, “Our meetings with them have given way to new and strengthened strategic partnerships.”
Said Duncombe, “CHTA Marketplace has presented an unparalleled opportunity to engage in insightful discussions on the optimal use of Artificial Intelligence in capitalising on travel consumer behaviours. Such intelligence is invaluable to our overarching promotional strategy.”
“We continuously see the value of the destination’s attendance at Caribbean Travel Marketplace,” she added.
For more information on recent BMOTIA tourism efforts, please visit www.bahamas.com.
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ABOUT THE BAHAMAS
With over 700 islands and cays, and 16 unique island destinations, The Bahamas lies just 50 miles off the coast of Florida, offering an easy flyaway escape that transports travellers away from their everyday. The Islands of The Bahamas have world-class fishing, diving, boating and thousands of miles of the earth’s most spectacular water and beaches waiting for families, couples and adventurers. Explore all the islands have to offer at www.bahamas.com or on Facebook, YouTube or Instagram to see why It’s Better in The Bahamas.
PRESS INQUIRIES
Anita Johnson-Patty
Director, Global Communications
Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation
Weber Shandwick
Public Relations